


Are you okay, Malfoy?

by The_gayest_little_angel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Past Child Abuse, Past Verbal Abuse, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 01:53:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4588581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_gayest_little_angel/pseuds/The_gayest_little_angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry wakes up to the sound of Draco crying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Are you okay, Malfoy?

**Author's Note:**

> If you ever need to talk, don't be afraid to tell me anything. My email is breakj13@gmail.com and my ears are always open. Stay safe, I love you guys!

Harry awoke at the late/early hour of 2:00 to the sound of muffled crying.

"Are you alright, Malfoy?" He asked groggily as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Draco whipped his head around to face him and pulled his sheets up to his head. "Don't you dare call me by that wretched name, Potter." He said harshly, as if he hadn't been crying at all.

To spare his new roommate's feelings he pretended not to interrogate the clearly upset boy. "Very well, but if I am to call you Draco, could you at least call me Harry?" 

"Fine. Now go back to bed, Po- Harry" He corrected.

"Goodnight, Draco." Harry layed back down and pretended to sleep, by now an expert on feigning slumber.

Fooled by Harry's mock unconcious state he stood to put a fresh shirt on. Harry heard a thump as Draco set his feet on the floor. Draco didn't notice how Harry's eyes remained cracked by just a sliver.

For the first time since he'd met the boy Harry saw his bare chest and arms. 

Harry's eyes flew open in shock at the many scars he saw there.

Draco saw, eyes wide in the horror that he had discovered his dark secret. He tugged the long sleeve on quickly, but aware that it was too late to hide the marks that littered his body.

"Draco. Did you do this to yourself?" Harry asked, quickly crossing the room.

"You weren't supposed to find out." Draco muttered, his eyes quickly refilling with tears.

"Well, I'm glad I did. Now I can help you." Harry said gently. "Take off your shirt."

Draco's eyes widened. 

"I'm sorry, Draco, but I need to see them to help you." Harry said solomnly. He tugged loosely at the hem of his shirt.

Draco nodded and begrudgingly removed his shirt. There were more than Harry had seen before. Some of which looked rather fresh.

"How long?" Harry asked nonjudgingly.

Draco sat down on his bed and rested his head In his hands. "I don't remember anymore. I started a few years ago. Back then it was only a few. One or two every week or so. Then father got worse and worse, so I did it more and more. Then mother died and I-" His voice broke and he couldn't speak anymore.

Harry sat next to him and rubbed his back as he cried. Surprisingly Draco leaned into Harry's touch. After the initial shock wore off he wrapped his arms around the distressed boy.

Eventually Draco's breathing slowed and he sat up. "I'm sorry I woke you, Harry." He nearly whispered, eyes downcast.

"Don't be. I'm glad I could help." Harry replied. After a hesitant moment Harry spoke again. "You were about to do it again, weren't you?"

Draco nodded glumbly.

"What did you do it with?" Harry asked.

"No! You'll only take it away from me! I need it!" Draco panicked.

"Draco, calm down. I won't take it away from you, I swear." Harry said soothingly. "And I won't make you promise me you'll stop, either. I just want you to come to me when you feel like doing it. Agreed?"

Draco nodded his head, relieved. "Why are you being so kind to me, Harry?"

Harry bit his lip, but decided showing him would be the best answer.

He pulled down his pajama pants to reveal his boxers.

"Be warned, mine are a little bit worse." Harry warned.

It was a massive understatement. When he rolled up his boxer leg he revealed thighs absolutly covered in scars. At some parts it seemed like there were more scars than skin.

"Harry!" Draco exclaimed.

"Well, since we seem to be doing backstories, want to hear mine?" He asked, rolling the leg back down.

Draco nodded.

"When I was still living with the Dursleys they treated me like filth. I wasn't allowed outside. For most of my life I lived in a cupbboard under the stairs and they hardly fed me enough. They never beat me, but the constant verbal abuse was unbearable. And I remember always wishing they would. Physical pain I can handle. Emotional pain? Not so much."

Harry took a deep breath before he continued. 

"And I just hated myself so much, it was unbearable. So I started clawing at my arms with my finger nails. It worked at first, but then it was never enough. So I nicked one of Vernon's razors and went at it. They were on my hip. Two of them, short and shallow. And I just felt, I don't know, like some of the weight had lifted?"

At this point Draco had a comforting hand on Harry's arm.

"From then they just got longer and deeper until I started hacking away at my thighs. Then there was Hogwarts and I could finally breathe. I stopped doing it and I felt like maybe I could be okay again."

He took another deep breath and told the last of his story.

"Then each summer going back to that hell." He shuddered "Anyways, I'm done with them now. So, yeah. I know what you're going through. Don't tell Snape, eh?"

Draco crossed his heart. 

"It's half past three o' clock. We should get back to bed." Harry advised. He got off of Draco's bed and pulled his pants back on.

"You're right." Draco agreed and put on the shirt he was holding before crawling back under the covers.

"Goodnight, Harry." Draco said.

"Goodnight, Draco" Said Harry.

When Severus called the boys to breakfast he was quick to observe that Draco's eyes were red and puffy from crying. But they both looked happier and more at ease than he had ever seen them. He knew putting them in the same room would be good for the two of them.


End file.
